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AlGhazalisIhya-Book_of_Zakat_and_Charity, page : 13
would convey them by way of a third party so as to hide the donor‟s identity, the
intermediary being asked to keep the secret and charged not to disclose it.
Such measures were designed to extinguish the anger of Allah, the Almighty,
and as a precaution against hypocrisy and reputation seeking. When ever it is
inevitable that at least one person should be in the know, it is preferable to
entrust the charity to an agent for delivery to the needy beneficiary who should
not be known to his benefactor; for knowing the beneficiary carries the double
danger of ostentation and expectation of gratitude, whereas knowing the
intermediary carries the former alone.
Whenever fames is the donor‟s objective, his work will be in vain, since the
purpose of charity is to eliminate miserliness and to weaken the love of wealth.
But the love of status has a stronger hold over the soul than the love of wealth,
and both of them have deadly consequences in the Hereafter. In the tomb, while
the attribute of miserliness will assume, as it were, the form of a stinging
scorpion, the attribute of ostentationess will turn into a viper. We are bidden to
render them both weak or to kill them, so as to ward off their mischief or at least
reduce it. But whenever we seek recognition and renown it is just like reinforcing
intermediary being asked to keep the secret and charged not to disclose it.
Such measures were designed to extinguish the anger of Allah, the Almighty,
and as a precaution against hypocrisy and reputation seeking. When ever it is
inevitable that at least one person should be in the know, it is preferable to
entrust the charity to an agent for delivery to the needy beneficiary who should
not be known to his benefactor; for knowing the beneficiary carries the double
danger of ostentation and expectation of gratitude, whereas knowing the
intermediary carries the former alone.
Whenever fames is the donor‟s objective, his work will be in vain, since the
purpose of charity is to eliminate miserliness and to weaken the love of wealth.
But the love of status has a stronger hold over the soul than the love of wealth,
and both of them have deadly consequences in the Hereafter. In the tomb, while
the attribute of miserliness will assume, as it were, the form of a stinging
scorpion, the attribute of ostentationess will turn into a viper. We are bidden to
render them both weak or to kill them, so as to ward off their mischief or at least
reduce it. But whenever we seek recognition and renown it is just like reinforcing